England hoping to turn their fortunes around against the Wallabies
Historically, whenever England have managed to beat the men from down under, they have done so by being reliant on a dominant pack. With the likes of Morgan, Lawes and Robshaw in the team this weekend, it looks like this could be England’s best weapon if they are to turn over their old enemies again.
The two props Marler and Wilson will also be pivotal to their hopes this weekend, as Lancaster’s side will look to dominate at scrum time and really put some pressure on their opposite numbers and force plenty of penalties.
Despite the two sides both experiencing a mixed autumn campaign so far, there aren’t many rivalries in sport which get the blood pumping quite like a rugby match between England and Australia.
The home side will look to bounce back from narrow defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, by beating a side that have so far only managed the one win against Wales. In their other two fixtures they lost to both France and Ireland by narrow margins, adding to the pressure from their adoring fans back home for them to win at Twickenham.
However, it won’t be easy for the Aussies, who in recent years haven’t had it all their own way at the home of English rugby. In their last three meetings, England have narrowly edged the head-to-head by two wins to one, scoring an average of 23 points per game.
The forwards are likely to have the biggest say in Saturday’s outcome, but the performances of Brown and May at the back will also be important. They have both been superb so far in the autumn tests and will be looking to cause an often fragile Australia defence some serious problems.
Australia have shipped 83 points in their last three games, so there is certainly a defensive weakness there that England can exploit.
The pressure will be on England to perform this weekend, with Lancaster desperate to win this game and get the passionate home fans back on his side heading into a World Cup year.
Expect the boys to put in a much better display on Saturday and ease some of the doubts surrounding their ability to beat the best sides in the world. If they scrum well and put in a solid defensive performance then they will come out triumphant against the Wallabies once more.
19/20 – England to win by -3.5 handicap
